Sony and Microsoft are preparing "special Apple-style press conferences" to reveal their next-generation consoles "near the Game Developers Conference in late March", a new Game Informer report has alleged.

The magazine suggests that both platform holders will reveal the hardware around GDC, which takes place in San Francisco between March 25-29, before showing off next-gen titles at E3.

"We hear that both Sony and Microsoft are targeting special Apple-style press conferences to unveil their platforms near the Game Developers Conference in late March," reads the report in the magazine's February 2013 issue.

"E3 in June may be the industry's biggest event, but both companies want to give their systems their own limelight.

"That doesn't mean E3 won't be without its surprises. Next-gen games will be announced at the convention in preparation for the systems' release at the end of the year."

The magazine also suggests that PlayStation 4, rumoured to be codenamed Orbis, may be targeting a release ahead of Microsoft's next-generation Xbox.

They could hold their own events but even lasts years E3 event for Microsoft was massive...my guess is that they hold an e3 event before the conference (much like CES) so that they can announce the goods, then show them off on the floor.

I personally can't see it happening. Hasn't Microsoft always gone for E3?

IIRC Xbox 360 was announced in March/April in an MTV special. I can see Microsoft doing it earlier than E3 but they will probably do a solo show instead of doing it at GDC.If they announce it early, they get to show games for it at E3. It kind of makes sense.

I hope it's not going to be called XBOX 720 though. XBOX Next sounds better. Even just XBOX 3 would be better.

Rumour has it, it'll just be called "Xbox". I think an early reveal for the Xbox Next/PS4 is very likely, reveal the hardware now and drum up the hype and then showcase the games at E3. Come Q4 holiday season, watch the units fly off the shelves.. sound strategy me thinks. I could be totally wrong, so take with a grain of salt...

If MS does any type of early reveal for the next Xbox, with the way they go about it now we could be in for a last minute secret invite only deal. Look at what they did with the surface for example. I think we'll see something like that again but bigger scale wise.